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| Ashland Agate 260 |
Recent discussions (and a subsequent search of the Guide) pointed out that while some of us had seen the old Agate 260s... many people were probably unaware they had existed. The only known remaining source of these balloons is a half-bag given to John Holmes by a lady named Glenda Claire (Coco the Clown) years ago. John's fascination with collecting 'rare' balloons is an underground secret that generally gets revealed at twisting conventions. Catch John in a good mood, and you may get a glimpse of latex treasure.
Knowing that these balloons aren't getting any younger, I volunteered to inflate one for the greater good. The aim was to get a photographic record before and after inflation, if it was still possible. I dug them out of my own archival collection of balloons, which are stored in the bottom drawer of my fridge (this perplexes my mom to no end). The cold balloons were inflexible. Because they'd been stored in a baggie and folded in half, I worried that they might just break off at that point. I set the balloons out, so they could warm to room temperature.
After this warming period, I gently began to roll one of the balloons between my hands. I could feel it 'give' immediately. The balloon became both flexible and visibly longer (see photo below). I did this rolling briefly all along the length of the balloon, but only for a very short amount of time. It was obvious that any vigorous stretching of the balloon could break it. After rolling, the latex felt smooth and aged.
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| Uninflated Agate 260 balloons, one untouched, and one rolled between the hands. Note the differences in lenth. |
I chose the balloon with the yellow nozzle end and the blue nipple end, because it seemed to have a good range of color variations and because I like the other one better. :-) Keeping John's statement in mind, I already suspected that the best use of these 'vintage' balloons might be to mount and frame them. They are rather pretty, just as they are.
I inflated the balloon slowly, with a 2-way hand pump. The thickness of these balloons, combined with their age makes them a challenge to inflate. The balloon fills very full, with lots of pressure. That makes them only inflatable up to their weakest point (well, duh!). I got the balloon nearly inflated to the bright blue section near the end when it popped. Closer examination showed that it had torn across the balloon cross-section, very near the nozzle. Re-inflation was possible! I decided to inflate it the second time in a curly-q, to help get more of it in the photos. Second inflation was successful, but I had to let a lot of air out before I could tie a knot safely.
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| An inflated Ashland Agate 260 | ||
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| 'Painted' Dog |
Even with the large amount of air I released before tying the knot, the
balloon was very full. I twisted slowly. The air advanced along the
uninflated tail quickly, under pressure. Soon after I snapped this
picture of my doggie, the balloon popped near one of the twists.
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| Close-up of popped balloon. |
I remember the Ashland Rubber Co. "AGATE" #260 balloons. I think they had a number designation of 260P. The P indicated 'Painted' as I recall, which described their variegated color on a white base. But, this may not be exactly accurate since I am relying upon my memory. - Ralph Dewey
An agate 260 is a thick white balloon with the colors applied in an outer coating. I remember coloring easter eggs with two methods, when I was little. The first was the standard drop-in color tablet in multiple cups. The second was oil-based. You'd get a large vat of water and float a thin skim of colored oils on the top. As you gently lowered the eggs into the water, in a circular motion, the colored oils would adhere to the egg surface. After all the eggs accumulated on the bottom of the pot, you'd skim off any remaining color oils and then lift your multi-colored eggs safely out of the water.
These balloons look to have undergone a similar process, and Ralph's classification of 'painted' seems right on track. The white balloon accounts for the majority of the balloon thickness. The outside colors adhered well to the white base; they don't rub off or seem to fade much over time. The white to color percentages account for the behavior of the balloon appearance, upon inflation. The ratio of white latex increases greatly and starts to push through and stretch the color coating. Pastel colors, or thin/small single color blocks fade quickly upon inflation. Only dense color patches in more vivid shades hold up.
Because of this, and the age of the collection, I'd recommend saving the last few of these balloons for framing or research. They're really at their colorful best when uninflated. That said, if a balloon company wanted to re-create them, they're perfect for spring or easter special releases. They would be wonderful accents in decor and would make unique easter baskets.
Hooray Agates!! I surely remember these. I started twisting in 1980
and I used these whenever I could. I cut my teeth on Ashland balloons !
It's like looking at an old friend. - Catherine Mire
